Please enable JavaScript in your browser, then refresh the page to continue.

We both know that in order to find clients who hire you, you need to find what they want and sell them the solution. Easy, right? And the answer is ... ask them – via interviews, or a survey. At least that's what some marketers say. I've personally worked in a Fortune 500 market research company and I know that surveys WORK. But for the entrepreneur who just started and wants to find clients fast and inexpensively, a 1,000 pounds for a single survey is out ofthe question. So, how do you figure out your ideal clients:

1. Sign up for Ezines in Your IndustryThat should be fairly easy as you need to know who else out there is running towards the heart and loyalty of your client. Also, you will need to know when your competition is campaigning so that you son't do it at the same time. Remember the old days when there are two shows on different channels and you can't watch the show afterwards so on the commercials you switch cannels to see what's happening in the other show? This will happen with your business too if all campaign at the same time.

2. Obviously read the emailsIn each email there is an answer to the hidden questions. The questions are: "Why you should prefer to buy from me?" and "What's your biggest fear?" Specifically look for the answers to those questions. In a couple of weeks you should have a pretty long list of benefits and fears. And you didn't spend a dime... The best part is – this gives you a direct answer to your survey question: What do my clients want?

3. Be your ginny pigSince you are in this industry, you have a passion for it, or it is close ot your heart. Either way, you know about the wants of this market more than you know. Let's put this to the test. For each fear that you listed, imagine what it is like for you. How this fear affects your own life in a similar way. Think of a time when you experienced something similar and write down the story. By the end of this exercise you'll have a whole notebook full of stories from your life which you would otherwise have left unnoticed.

4. Mix up some magic pillsNow, go back to your own role as a professional who offers solutions. Go back to the newsletters that you read and make a very quick list of the solutions that your competition offers. Now, look at the list of personal stories. For each personal experience look for a solution from the list of your competitors' solutions. Is this solution a perfect match? Can you offer something different, something better? Go over each and every personal story and don't stop untill you're finished with all of them.

5. Package your solutionBy now, you know what your ideal clients are afraid of, what they want, what your competition is offering and what are the things that tey missed to offer that now you can step up and fill that gap in the market. Set aside all the other lists you made (but don't throw them because they will be very handy when you write your sales copy). Now, you will be working on the list you created for offers that the market wants but have not received by others. Which one speaks most to you so that you can package it into a solution?